Here There Be Dragons
by SGAFan
Summary: Its a fight to survive when the team crashes on an unknown planet. Written originally for the LJ Genficathon.*spoilers for early season 5 if I even need to say that anymore... ; *
1. Chapter 1

_NOTE: The prompt from the Genficathon was "Here there be Dragons" (hence the name LOL) and it was an action/adventure prompt. I did my research, and came up with this interpretation. Enjoy!_

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"_There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception."_

_~Aldous Huxley_

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The feel of the P-90 bouncing lightly against his TAC vest as he walked towards the Jumper Bay was familiar - comforting in its own way - so John paid it little heed. He quickly checked the load on his Beretta as he half listened to Woolsey talking to him.

"I feel the need to reiterate the concerns I aired in the mission briefing, Colonel. There is next to no information in the database about this gate or the world it orbits."

John slid his gun back into its holster. They'd already been through this and dwelling on it wasn't helping his mission get off the ground any faster. The briefing was over, the decision had been made, so he wasn't sure why Woolsey was dwelling on it. Except, maybe, being as new as he was, he was afraid of making a wrong decision. John quelled his concern, even though second guessing an order wasn't exactly the best trait he could think of for a base commander to have. "You gave us the go ahead, Mr. Woolsey. Besides, we've found some pretty valuable stuff in the past from planets the Ancients conveniently forgot to describe in the database."

"And, according to your own reports, some other of those planets you barely escaped alive from," Woolsey countered. "I know I gave you the go ahead, but I still have reservations about this."

John stopped in front of the doors to the Jumper Bay, turned and faced his new boss. "Mr. Woolsey," he raised his hand, pointing slightly, "going through the Stargate is dangerous every time we do it, whether we know what's on the other side or not." He paused for a moment and let his statement sink in. Plenty of times, they'd known what they were walking into and still nearly got killed. "It's what we do." He pursed his lips and stared intently at Woolsey. "We never have all the information we need to make decisions, but we still have to make them."

Behind his glasses, Woolsey's eyes narrowed slightly, before he nodded. "Very well. Be careful, Colonel."

One side of John's mouth lifted in a slight smile. "Always." Turning, he waved his hand over the door crystal and entered the Jumper Bay. Standing by Jumper Four, his team were waiting for him.

"Was that Woolsey you were talking to?" Rodney asked as John walked up to them.

John nodded. "Yeah, just some last minute… stuff." He kept his answer vague on purpose. Woolsey second guessing himself in front of John was one thing, but for the rest of the expedition to know, even just his team, was something else. John had held Weir and Carter's confidences in the past when either of them had reservations and it was a courtesy he'd decided to extended to Woolsey as well. It was part of being second-in-command to him, and a burden he willingly carried. Even base commanders needed a safe person to talk to, without sacrificing how they were perceived to the rest of their command. John suspected that Woolsey didn't see that role in him yet, but would eventually.

"Stuff, huh?" Rodney's expression was suspicious. "Care to fill us in on that… stuff?"

John's expression turned cynical. "Nope." He walked past Rodney and up the ramp into the jumper.

"Fine." Rodney's short response as he followed John, with Teyla and Ronon right behind him, left no doubt that he was annoyed.

John set his P-90 next to the pilot's chair and sat down, instantly feeling the jumper come to life and connect with him. He smiled slightly. After almost five years, the familiar feeling never got old. He glanced at Rodney, who took a moment to glower at him before turning his attention to the co-pilot console. "Oh, knock it off, McKay," John looked down at his own console. "You don't have to know everything that's going on. Your curiosity gets us into enough trouble as it is."

"Oh, that's rich," Rodney snapped back. "That's quite a line coming from you, Colonel 'Let's Check it Out' Sheppard." He glared at John. "You do realize that we get into serious trouble every time you say that, don't you?"

As John powered up the jumper and lifted off, he decided the conversation wasn't worth pursuing, and he simply grunted in a non-committal way to Rodney's statement.

"Ha!" Rodney answered triumphantly. "You can't deny it."

"No," John cocked a brow and glanced in his direction, "I'm just not answering you."

"Were you able to find anything else about this planet in the database, Rodney?" Teyla smoothly interrupted, her statement sidetracking Rodney's apparent comeback.

Rodney turned towards her. "Not since the briefing. There's nothing there except a gate address and a note that the gate is in orbit. No indication as to why though."

John shook his head. "Doesn't have to be a reason why. We've seen a lot of orbital gates."

"Maybe the Wraith did it," Ronon offered quietly.

"Oh, that's comforting," Rodney answered.

"McKay," John interrupted, "just dial."

"Right." Rodney's hands flew over the DHD as John cued the hangar bay doors to open, before he checked his console. "Wormhole established."

John slowly pushed the jumper into a descent and entered the Gate room. He clicked on communications. "Control, this is Jumper Four. Ready to depart."

"You're cleared, Jumper Four," Woolsey answered. "Check-in set for four hours. Please be punctual."

John arched a brow at Woolsey's statement. "Aren't we always?"

"Would you like me to answer that, Colonel?" Woolsey almost sounded amused.

John frowned. "Not really. Jumper Four, out." Refocusing his attention on the wormhole, he throttled the jumper forward and through the gate.

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As soon as they emerged from the Stargate and glided into orbit, John looked over at where Rodney was busy adjusting controls. John sent a quick mental command to the Jumper and, obediently, the HUD popped up. "What's the scoop, Rodney?"

"Hmm." Rodney's reply was non-committal in the extreme.

John frowned. He had a strong feeling McKay was still ticked at him _Great. One of __**those**__ missions… _"Think you can be a little more descriptive?"

"When I have something worth describing, yes." Rodney muttered. He looked up at the HUD. "Not much unusual about the planet. Breathable atmosphere, no measurable toxins or anything contra-indicative to life."

John nodded and looked out the Jumper windshield at the planet. "Good start, but…?"

"What?" Rodney glanced over at him.

John returned the gaze. "You sound like there's something more."

Rodney looked back down at the panel. "Well, yes. I'm getting some weird energy readings. Not sure what to make of them."

"Weird as in dangerous?" John asked, his attention returning to the HUD.

"Weird as in I have no idea," Rodney replied shortly.

"It would probably not be advisable to land until we know more," Teyla offered.

John nodded. "For sure. McKay?"

"What?" Rodney snapped.

"Is it dangerous?" John prompted. He cocked a brow as the annoyance in Rodney's expression only intensified.

"I don't know! Give me a minute, okay?" His hands flew over the console. "I can't just pull this information out of thin air… huh."

"What?" Ronon beat John to the reply.

"The energy. It's an odd magnetic field in the planet's atmosphere. Doesn't seem harmful though… and I'm getting sporadic energy readings from the surface."

John's gaze narrowed at the HUD display. "Inhabitants? Ancient tech?"

"Not sure," Rodney shrugged slightly. "I'm detecting a lot of life signs on the planet, but it's hard to tell if they're human or animals. I don't see any indications of technology or other signs of human life. Could be unpopulated."

John pondered the situation. McKay seemed relatively confident that the odd energy in the atmosphere wasn't harmful. At the same time, if he'd known exactly what it was, he would've said so. That small, unknown element could be dangerous. Mentally, John weighed the danger against the promise of the sporadic readings from the surface. "Is it worth checking out?"

Rodney sighed. "Hard to say. I don't really want to dismiss it off the cuff. But without any more information, I don't know if it's worth looking into or not."

This time, it was John's turn to sigh. "Great."

"It is possible," Teyla offered, "that the Ancients hid something here because of the unusual properties in the planet's atmosphere. If it is indeed uninhabited, it is unlikely the Wraith would venture here."

John shrugged. "Maybe."

"That's a possibility," Rodney admitted. "But the only way we'll know is if we go look."

John stared at the HUD a moment longer. "You're sure the magnetic energy field isn't harmful?"

Rodney squinted at his console. "Positive. It won't hurt us."

John nodded and began to pilot the jumper towards the planet. "All right, let's take a look." As he pushed the Jumper into a controlled descent, he felt a slight shudder pass through the hull. He looked at Rodney expectantly.

Rodney returned his look for a moment and scanned the controls. "Nothing out of the ordinary." He shrugged. "You're in the green."

"So what was that?" Ronon sounded unconvinced by Rodney's reassurance.

"Not sure," John answered, "but she's still…," his voice trailed off as he suddenly had to struggle to keep the controls steady. "Uh-oh. Got a problem here…."

Rodney's hands flew over the controls. "What the hell…?"

"What is happening?" Teyla asked.

John pulled hard on the controls, but got little response, and when he reached out with his mind, his connection with the Jumper had disappeared, replaced by cold nothingness. "This is not good." He shook his head. "We're losing power. I'm getting us out of here while we still can." He pulled back on the controls again, and this time was rewarded with nothing. "Damn it!"

"You're not pulling up." Rodney's words were short and distracted.

"I noticed, thanks," John snapped.

"McKay what the hell is going on?" Ronon demanded.

"I don't know!" Rodney admitted frantically. "It's that strange magnetic energy: it's affecting the jumper's power systems. I can't find a way to compensate."

"I thought you said it wouldn't hurt us!" Ronon half stood from his chair.

"I said us, not the jumper! There was no way I could've known it'd have this effect!" Rodney's hands moved in a flurry over the controls. "Maybe I can compensate…."

John's grip on the controls turned white knuckled as misty clouds whisked by the jumper's windshield. "Passing into the troposphere," he warned. "We don't have enough power to break the planet's pull, not now, but I might be able to soften the landing. Hang on."

"We're going to crash?" Rodney braced his hands on the console.

"Yes, Rodney, we're going to crash!" John shot back as he pulled hard on the controls and reached out with his mind, looking… seeking any mental link with the failing ship. _Come on, baby, listen to me…._ From somewhere, he sensed a glimmer of a connection and he latched onto it. _Easy… slow down… do this softly. Come on, girl, nice and easy…._ Through the connection, he felt the Jumper respond, slowing considerably, although the ground still rushed towards them at an alarming rate. "Hang on!" John quickly reached out and switched all remaining power to the inertial dampeners, but it wasn't enough to blunt the crash completely. Branches whipped against the jumper's frame as they plowed through the trees. As his body was thrown forward and into the console, one errant thought ran through his head.

_Woolsey was right._

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A groan escaped John as he slowly pushed himself up from the console. His head throbbed and he blinked hard, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Sitting up, he moved gingerly and was, relieved to find that nothing seemed to be broken. A miracle, considering the half-assed landing he'd barely managed. _Great…._

He looked to his right, where Rodney was slowly sitting up. "McKay? You all right?"

Rodney reached up, dabbing some blood off his forehead. "I'm bleeding."

John nodded. "It's a cut. Are you okay?" he repeated.

Rodney nodded slightly. "Think so."

John turned his chair to see Teyla lying on the floor. As he slid to one knee next to her, she rolled onto her back. "Teyla?"

She pushed herself up on her elbows. "I am all right," she said quietly as she slowly sat up.

John eyed her for a moment, before he decided he could take her at her word. Looking past her, he watched Ronon get to his knees. "Chewie?"

Ronon waved away his concern as he sat back on his haunches. "Fine."

"Oh, this is bad. Very, very bad," Rodney lamented.

John eased back into his seat, trying to ignore the protesting muscles in his body and the pounding in his head. "What…? Oh, hell." His gaze fixed on a large branch, its thick end stuck at about a forty-five degree angle through the Jumper windshield. Spider-web cracks criss-crossed the glass in front of the co-pilot's chair and extended nearly halfway across the windshield. Random droplets of water were hitting the dash as rain from the downpour outside managed to work its way through the cracks. "That's what I call a hard wood," he commented quietly.

"Do you realize how unbelievably screwed we are?" Rodney sounded on the edge of panic. "Even if we could get this thing off the ground again," he looked around, "and I do mean _if, _we can't reach an orbital gate with a shattered windshield!"

"Atlantis will come for us when we do not check in," Teyla reasoned quietly.

"And they'll meet the same fate we did in the planet's atmosphere!" Rodney shot back.

John sighed. It was bad enough they had crashed, without another team suffering the same fate. He drew in a deep breath. "First things first. Power."

"Are you kidding me?" Rodney groused as he slapped the console in a less-than-gentle fashion. "We're dead in the water here." He shook water off his hands and took a moment to glare outside at the torrential rain. "Just once, I'd love to crash land on a tropical island with sun and seventy five degrees."

Ignoring his complaining, John stood. "See if you can cobble together some power; enough for communications and, hopefully, sensors so we can warn the rescue team off when they come through. Once they know, they can work on a way to compensate for this… whatever energy, and find a way to get us out of here."

"Communications _and_ sensors?" Rodney's stare was an odd cross between incredulous and thoroughly annoyed. "Why don't I just power the DHD and levitate us into orbit while I'm at it?"

"McKay!" John snapped, and sent a warning glare his way.

Rodney glared back at him for a moment before he looked away and fished around on the floor beside his chair, presumably for his tablet. "Right," he muttered.

"Sheppard." Ronon's quiet voice grabbed his attention and John looked back towards where Ronon was now standing in the rear compartment of the Jumper.

His frown deepened. Where there should've been a tight seal between the back hatch and the body of the jumper, he saw daylight… lots of daylight. "Great. Looks like the whole frame was bent from the impact."

"I can't believe we're all in one piece." Rodney dabbed his forehead and blanched at the blood on his fingers. "More or less…."

"Kicked all the power into the inertial dampeners right before we crashed," John commented absently. "Good thing."

"It would have been much worse had you not, John." Teyla nodded and smiled slightly in approval.

"All right." John reached down next to his seat and grabbed his P-90. "Without sensors, we don't know what's out there. That doesn't sit right with me. McKay, keep working on the power." Rodney gave him an absent nod. "Ronon, Teyla, let's check the perimeter and see what we landed in." He paused for a moment and looked up at the top of the jumper as he listened to the loud tapping of the rain. He didn't relish the idea of getting cold and wet, but didn't see where they had any choice. "Great," he muttered. "Next time we visit your island, Rodney."

"How about next time we just don't crash?" Rodney shot back, without looking up from his data pad.

John shrugged silently. Standing up, he walked to the back of the jumper. The hole between the back hatch and the body was wide enough for him to squeeze through, though he suspected it would be a tight fit for Ronon. While they could manually release the hatch, without power they didn't have many options for closing it. Without knowing what was out there, John was pretty sure he'd rather have a small hole, than a large one. Turning sideways, he slipped through, stepped down onto the ground, and then raised his P-90 and looked around. The constant rainfall echoed in the woods around him and he immediately felt his head and clothes getting damp. After a moment, he walked a few steps to the side, making room for Teyla and Ronon to follow him.

His feet sank slightly in the soft forest floor. Like a lot of other planets, the woods here reminded him of forests on Earth - that is, until some strange bird made some strange noise and pulled him back to reality. It didn't take this planet long to remind him. He looked up, squinting against the raindrops, and watched a small bird fly overhead, its high-pitched call a cross between a chirp and a chilling wail.

"Aroyut," Teyla commented from behind him. She motioned upwards with her head as John looked at her questioningly. "The bird. It is called an Aroyut. There are many people in this galaxy that see them as a dark omen of things to come."

John frowned. "Not what I needed to hear."

"It is only a superstition," Teyla reassured him.

John nodded. "Right." He looked back at Ronon. "Go left, Teyla and I will go right. We'll meet at the front of the jumper."

Ronon nodded silently and raised his gun before slowly walking along the side of the craft.

John watched him for a moment, and then continued his own path around the back of the jumper, Teyla right behind him. "Stay sharp."

"Yes." Teyla's quiet reply was, as always, reassuring.

John scanned the underbrush as he slowly walked along, extending his senses, looking… feeling for anything close by. He would never put his instincts for stuff like this up next to Teyla's or Ronon's, but he still liked to think his senses were pretty sharp, and he didn't like what his gut was telling him. Nothing around them showed any sign of being dangerous: it just looked like another forest. Still, he couldn't shake the foreboding inside him. Something wasn't right, wasn't… safe, and it had nothing to do with the obvious situation they were in with the jumper. There was something else, his instincts insisted, even if his rational mind didn't agree.

The sound of the rain echoing through the trees didn't help much either. With dark amusement, John reflected that an elephant could come charging their way and he'd never hear it coming. He quirked a brow. The rain probably wasn't _that_ loud, but loud enough to mask a lot of other, potentially dangerous sounds.

Rounding the front of the Jumper, they met up with Ronon, who shook his head. "Nothing," he affirmed. "Don't like it though."

John's gaze narrowed. "Don't like what?"

"This place," Ronon answered. "There's something about it." He sniffed. "I don't like it."

John grimaced. "Glad I'm not the only one."

"I sense nothing," Teyla added, "and yet…." she shook her head.

Suddenly, Ronon took a giant step forward, swiftly drawing and powering his gun as he aimed at something over John's shoulder.

John's reaction was instantaneous. He spun, bringing his P-90 to bear and next to him, Teyla did the same. John looked around, searching for a target. "What?" he whispered. When no answer came, he spared a glance at his Satedan friend. "What?" he repeated, more insistently.

"Thought I saw something…." Ronon's voice trailed off as his eyes narrowed. "Something moved."

"I do not see anything," Teyla murmured.

"Maybe it was just branches moving in the rain," John suggested. His own answer and Ronon's unconvinced look didn't comfort him one bit.

"What the hell is going on out there?"

John looked around, taking a moment to identify the muffled voice as McKay yelling through the broken windshield. He raised his hand, waving Rodney into what he hoped was silence, but he wasn't surprised when his radio crackled to life. "What is it?" Rodney demanded.

John quickly tapped his headset. "Stand by and shut up," he ordered, before again glancing at his Satedan team mate. "Ronon?"

Frustrated, Ronon shook his head and lowered his gun. "Nothing."

John also lowered his gun. "Okay, let's…." Suddenly, a weight barreled into his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs and propelling him back against the side of the jumper. His P-90 flew from his grip, and he instinctively raised his hands, his fingers curling around what had to be the neck of something, although all he could see were teeth and fangs.

"Sheppard!"

John could hear Ronon's shout and the creature's screech… before it vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. John staggered, but still managed to pull his sidearm. He raised the gun, searching for something to shoot at. "What the hell?" he panted, his breath coming back to him in heaves. "Where is it?"

"I don't know," Ronon held his gun at eye level and turned in a circle. "It disappeared."

"Well which way did it run?" John insisted.

"It did not," Teyla added. "It… disappeared."

John straightened as what his team mates were trying to tell him finally sank in. "Disappeared? As in 'into thin air?'"

"I do not believe the air is thin," Teyla responded, "but it did just, simply, disappear."

"What the hell is going on out there? And don't you dare tell me to shut up!" Rodney's voice blared over the radio.

John tapped his headset. "Stay sharp, McKay, we're headed back in." Holstering his Beretta, John reached down and retrieved his P-90. Raising it defensively, he slowly edged along the jumper, towards the back. "How'd you get it off me," he whispered in the direction of Ronon.

"Knife." Ronon answered. "One of my better ones."

John arched a humorless eyebrow. "Sorry 'bout that."

Suddenly, a deep snarl grabbed his attention and he spun, just in time to see an animal materialize from nowhere and leap on Ronon, propelling him to the ground.

"Ronon!" John immediately opened fire, the sound of Teyla's weapon joining his an instant later.

The animal - _lion_ was the word that popped into John's head, although it was bigger than anything Earth had - screeched in pain, before leaping off Ronon and again, literally _vanishing_.

Ronon staggered to his feet and pulled his gun.

John spared him a quick look. "You okay?"

Ronon took one moment to check a bleeding gash on his forearm before nodding.

Briefly scanning the area around them, John turned and once more quickly started towards the back of the jumper, Ronon and Teyla right behind him. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I have never seen creatures such as these," Teyla answered, her voice tense.

John rounded the back of the jumper and stood just outside the opening. He motioned with his head. "Get in." Facing towards the woods, John covered Ronon and Teyla as they entered the jumper, before he ducked inside himself. Once inside, he shook the rain off his head and swiped a hand over his wet face.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what the hell is going on?" Rodney demanded.

"There's something out there," John answered.

"Brilliant!" Rodney snapped, "I deduced that much from the god-awful screeching, thank you! What is it?"

"I don't know." John's voice was equally annoyed. He stood at the opening, gun raised, as he watched for any sign of attack. "Looked like some sort of… big… lion… thing."

"Big _lion_ thing?" Rodney glowered.

John shrugged. "It kept disappearing. And when I say disappear I mean…," he waved his hand, "vanishing! Into thin air."

"Oh, that is _so_ not good," Rodney whispered.

"No, it's not," John agreed. "So what say you get the power restored?"

"Right," Rodney returned his attention to his data pad.

John's gaze never left the opening. "Ronon? You okay?"

"It is not a deep wound, Colonel." Teyla had already pulled out the first aid kit and was finishing wrapping a bandage around Ronon's arm as John glanced in her direction.

"Glad to hear it." John took a deep breath and held his position, watching the rain fall outside the jumper.

"What do we do now?" Ronon asked.

John sighed. "Well, we're sure as hell not going back out there if we can help it. We've got a pretty defensible position here, along with shelter and supplies. We stay put and let McKay fix the jumper."

"No pressure," Rodney quietly interjected.

John ignored him. "Then we can warn the inevitable rescue team, and find a way to get off this rock." He tensed as the sound of a piercing cry echoed through the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Rodney hissed.

"Sounds like our friend," John answered, as he stared over the top of his P-90. He peered through the sheets of rain, looking for an attack.

"You have an odd definition of fr…. Whoa!"

John spun, Rodney's exclamation startling him. His eyes widened as their 'friend' leapt straight at the damaged windshield. The Jumper shook under the impact, and a portion of the windshield buckled slightly with an ominous crack. Getting his first good look at their attacker, John stared for a moment. 'Lion' wasn't far from the truth though, from what he'd seen, lions on Earth had nothing on these guys. Large, jagged teeth protruded from its mouth, and its claws had to be at least four inches long.

Rodney scrambled backwards out of his chair as the 'lion' managed to stick one paw through a small hole in the windshield just above the tree branch and swipe at him. On hands and knees, Rodney crawled towards Ronon and Teyla, making sure he stayed out of their line of fire.

"Hold your fire!" John ran up to stand shoulder to shoulder with his Pegasus teammates, and raised his hand in Ronon's direction. "Ronon! You'll blast a ten foot hole in the windshield with that thing!" Switching his gun to single shot mode, John carefully aimed several shots at the exposed paw.

The animal's snarls turned pained. It abruptly withdrew its now bloodied paw and once again disappeared.

"Tenacious, aren't they?" John muttered as he lowered his gun.

"They?" Rodney squeaked.

"Has to be more than one. We put several shots into one outside but that one," John waved at the windshield, "didn't have any wounds… not that I could see." He looked down, his gaze following Rodney as the scientist stood. "You okay?"

Rodney's eyes were as wide as saucers. "Compared to what?"

John cocked his head and stared, deadpan, at Rodney who sighed.

"Right. Yes. Fine." He pointed back towards the co-pilots seat. "Power." Tentatively, Rodney walked back up to the cockpit. "You don't think that thing…?"

Ronon lowered his gun and followed Rodney. "Got your back, McKay. Just fix the jumper."

John took a deep breath as a chill ran through him. "We need to get warm."

Ronon took a moment to look back. "I'm good."

John quirked a cynical eyebrow. "You're wearing waterproof leather." His gaze fell to Teyla. "There should be a case up there," he nodded toward the overhead cargo netting, "with cold weather gear, including coats. Find it and get one."

Teyla nodded and started rummaging through the supply cases.

John returned to his post, watching the opening. He lowered his P-90, but kept a firm and ready hold on it as he fixed his gaze outside. His jaw tightened. _Big lion things that leap outta nowhere at you?_ _Was there no end to the surprises Pegasus would throw at them, even after nearly five years? _John's gaze narrowed as he continued to stay on alert. After a few moments, he heard Teyla walk up next to him, but he still didn't avert his eyes until her soft voice compelled him to.

"John?"

He looked over at her, and the jacket she held out to him. He looked back at the opening for a moment, before reaching up and unclipping his P-90 from his vest. He took the coat and let Teyla step in front of him, her own gun raised as she covered the entrance.

John set his P-90 on the bench, shrugged out of his TAC vest and peeled off his wet jacket. He could feel the goose bumps on his arms as he quickly donned the dry, black parka. He zipped it to his neck and put his vest back on. The jacket was bulkier than he was used to, but he was still satisfied with his range of motion, and warmth was already starting to spread through his body. _Fair trade off…._ He spread his wet coat out next to Teyla's, hoping it would dry, before he grabbed his gun and walked back to where she guarded the entrance.

"Do you think Rodney can fix the power?" she asked quietly.

John shrugged and peered outside, his gun held in a relaxed but ready grip. "Hope so. If he doesn't, then whoever Woolsey sends after us will crash too." John's lips tightened slightly as he thought of another team stranded like they were. "Damn it," he muttered.

"It is not your fault, John," Teyla answered.

John looked over and flashed a slight half smile at her. "I know, but I don't like it any better. If they crash, then they're stuck here and we still will be too. Atlantis will have no idea what happened to either one of us." Though he returned his attention to watching the hole, he saw Teyla's nod from the corner of his eye.

"Do you think Woolsey will presume we are all dead at that point?"

John drew in a deep breath and nodded. "It'd be a reasonable assumption."

"Elizabeth would not have. Neither would Colonel Carter," Teyla answered.

"Woolsey's cut from a different cloth." John gently rebuked the implied criticism in her words. "But…." He pursed his lips slightly.

"What?"

"I don't know." John's gaze narrowed slightly. "He's… not what I expected. I mean in a lot of ways he is, but he isn't…." He shook his head. "I'm not so sure he'd write us off so quickly."

"That would be good," Teyla's smile was small.

"Yeah," John returned her smile. He looked back outside while he thought about Woolsey. He'd been dubious, to say the least, in the beginning. But right from the get go, Woolsey, while being a tight ass about protocol, had bent the rules when the situation warranted it… and bent them right, in John's opinion. He thought about all the times in the past when he'd wanted nothing more than to deck Woolsey for being the uncompromising bureaucrat that he was. Yet, forced to fill the shoes left behind first by Elizabeth and then by Carter, Woolsey had shown a surprising ability to break away from protocol when he had to.

Coming back to the present, John looked over his shoulder and past Teyla. "McKay?"

"You're timing is impeccable," Rodney answered without looking up. "I was just about to try a partial power up… at least enough to maybe bring sensors online."

"What about communications?" John asked.

This time, Rodney did turn around to look at him, and his expression was anything but pleasant. "Do you _realize_ what I had to go through just to get this far?" he snapped.

John just stared back. "So that's a no?"

Rodney glared. "That's a 'not yet.'" He swiveled around in his chair. "We can't use the HUD," he waved his hand absently at the damaged windshield, "for obvious reasons, but I can get some readings on the console… providing this works."

John nodded his head towards the entrance. "Teyla, keep an eye out." He walked around her and up behind Rodney's chair, looking down at the console just in time to see it light up. He smiled slightly. "Good job, Rodney."

"Hmm," Rodney responded absently. "Still tracking our mysterious energy signature, but the reading is stronger from here. It's a low-level power source, probably something on standby. Definitely Ancient."

"How far away?" John leaned on the back of Rodney's chair.

"About two miles north of here," Rodney tapped a couple keys. "There's animal life all over the place," he added, "but no way of telling which ones are our lion… friends.…"

"Might be a group of them around," Ronon pointed out.

John nodded. "Lions on Earth roam in prides. Not saying these things are the same, but…." He shrugged.

"Great," Rodney muttered. "As if one wasn't…." His statement was cut off as sparks leaped from the console. His hands in contact with the controls, Rodney stiffened, before he was flung backwards, the stout chair the only thing keeping him from being propelled across the jumper. The console went dark, and the slight background hum of power disappeared.

"McKay!" John caught Rodney as he slumped sideways, and pushed him up straight in the chair, before kneeling in front of him. He stared at Rodney's closed eyes, reassured by the scientist's even breathing. "Rodney?" He put a hand on Rodney's shoulder and squeezed, shaking his head slightly at the lack of response. "He's unconscious."

"Is he all right?" Teyla called from the back of the jumper.

"I'd feel better if he was awake and bitching," John answered. He took a moment to glance behind him at Ronon, who was leaning over his shoulder, before looking back at Rodney. "McKay?" He shook Rodney's shoulder slightly, and was rewarded with a quiet moan. "Come on, Rodney, wake up."

Rodney opened his eyes, and then blinked them hard and shook his head as if to clear it. He stared at John.

"You okay?" John asked.

Slowly, Rodney pushed himself up straighter in the chair and nodded.

John stared at him for another moment, before grabbing one of his hands. "You're not burned, are you?"

"No." Rodney pulled his hand away. "Let go, will you?" He sat forward in his chair, his expression more lucid.

John took a deep breath and looked over at the dark console. "Don't suppose you're going to be able to fix that again?"

"You're kidding, right?" Rodney's voice was slightly gravely. "A surge like that had to destroy the crystals…. God, my hands are tingling…." He held them out in front of him, palms upwards.

"You'd be dead if that had been fully powered," John pointed out.

"Reassuring. Thanks," Rodney muttered. He looked up at Ronon and lifted his arm. "Help me up."

John put a hand on Rodney's chest. "Wait… give yourself a couple minutes, McKay. You're a bit scrambled."

Rodney shook his head. "No. I need to see how screwed we are." He waved his hand at Ronon again.

John looked up at Ronon's questioning expression and nodded once.

Ronon extended his hand and eased Rodney out of the chair and onto his feet, before helping Rodney walk slowly back to the rear compartment. One hand still on Ronon's shoulder for balance, Rodney opened one of the crystal bays. "This is not good," he muttered. "Sometimes I hate it when I'm right."

John looked back at him. "Fried?"

"Completely," Rodney answered.

John stood and stared down at the charred console, before sighing loudly. "You're sure you can't fix it again?" he asked, knowing deep down what the answer would be.

"No! And before you say anything, I really do mean _no._ It's _not_ possible." Though still weak, Rodney's voice was back to its usual snappy self. "I need parts to even _consider_ fixing any of this."

John listened to the rat-tat of rain, and felt the stiffness in his back from being thrown against the Jumper by whatever it was outside that hunted them. _Two miles…_ He didn't like the direction his thoughts were going, not for a second, but he couldn't see an alternative. Woolsey would send another jumper when his team missed their scheduled call-in; without at least communications to warn the rescue team off, they'd suffer the same fate, or worse.

John tore his gaze from the console and watched Rodney poke at a couple crystals. He'd received a hell of a shock, and still looked unsteady on his feet. And Rodney was a slow mover in the best of conditions….

John shook his head. In spite of possibly needing that egghead of McKay's, he couldn't justify dragging him on a dangerous two-mile hike. He pursed his lips and nodded once. "Okay. McKay, I know it's impossible, but try to find some power somewhere. Ronon stay with him."

"What part of _impossible_ are you not getting here?" Rodney groused, but he continued to poke at the crystals. He reached past the first bay and opened another one.

"Where are _you_ going?" Ronon asked, his gaze narrowing in suspicion.

"To see if the Ancients left anything behind that we can use. If there's an energy signal, then there has to be some sort of power. Maybe even communications to warn off the rescue team."

"Are you crazy? You can't go out there!" Rodney turned too quickly, and was forced to grab onto Ronon for support.

John stared hard at Rodney. "Give me an alternative," he answered evenly.

Rodney returned his gaze for a moment, before he sighed. "Right." He took a deep breath. "But I should be going with you."

"No," John answered succinctly.

"You need me to figure out what you're looking at," Rodney insisted.

John looked pointedly at the hand Rodney had on Ronon's shoulder, before meeting gazes with the scientist again. "You're not up to the hike, McKay."

Realization dawned on Rodney's face and he looked away, nodding quietly. After a moment, he gazed up at the crystal trays. "Maybe I can patch in some sort of external power source like the defibrillator…."

John looked down at his watch. "Our check-in is in two hours. Once we miss it, Woolsey will send a team." Reaching over the pilot's seat, he grabbed a life-signs detector. He punched a few keys, zeroing it in on the energy source, before shoving it inside his vest. "Hopefully we can at least get communications running here, or at that base, and be able to warn them off." He grabbed his P-90. "Teyla, you're with me." As he walked by Ronon, the big man grabbed his arm.

"Those things are still out there. Should go with you." Ronon's voice was quiet but resolute.

John shook his head. "And leave McKay here alone?" he pointed out quietly. "I need you to watch out for him, Big Guy."

Ronon squinted for a second, before he nodded. "Yeah." He let go of John's arm.

"One other problem, as if we don't have enough all ready," Rodney interjected.

John looked around Ronon and met Rodney's gaze. "What?"

"The same disturbance that brought down the jumper is interfering with radio communications. Without the jumper's communications systems and power to boost the signal, we're not going to be able to communicate once you leave. We'll be cut off from each other."

John sighed. "This just gets better and better," he groused. He took a deep breath. "With any luck, we'll find something at the base that can help."

He walked around Ronon, reached up into one of the overhead cargo nets and grabbed an emergency backpack. Opening it, he stuffed several extra P-90 clips in with the clothes, med kit and provisions it already contained, and handed the pack to Ronon so the Satedan could clip it to the back of his vest. The he walked up next to Teyla and looked outside at the rain. He sighed. "I was just starting to warm up," he griped quietly.

Teyla's smile was thin. "As was I."

"Be careful."

Ronon's quiet advice made John turn. He nodded once, curtly. "You too." Taking a deep breath, he squeezed through the opening and out into the rain.

----------------------------

For not the first time since they'd started this hike, John wished the rain would let up, just a little. The coat he wore was waterproof so, even though his hands and head were cold, he was still functioning okay and the wet was merely annoying. It was the sound of the rain that concerned him. Most of the woods around him were made up of deciduous trees, and the heavy rain on the leaves echoed around him. It wasn't just that it masked other sounds; it was like white noise: it lulled his mind and, after a while, he had to fight to still listen alertly.

He reached inside his TAC vest and pulled out the life-signs detector he'd taken. He veered slightly to his right, correcting their course through the trees so that he and Teyla were headed straight for the energy source once again, and slid the detector back inside his vest. He staggered abruptly as Teyla's hand on his arm stopped him in his tracks. Immediately, he lifted his gun. "What?"

"Something is out there," she whispered.

"Where?" He kept his own voice low.

"I do not know." Teyla sounded a little frustrated. "But the woods have suddenly grown quiet."

John quirked his brows. The constant static of rain on the trees sounded the same to him, so how she could hear anything else was beyond him, but her instincts, born of generations of hunters, had saved their butts before and John wasn't about to dismiss them. He slowly turned right, his gaze fixed over the top of his gun, as Teyla turned left. Stopping with his back against hers, he could feel her take a deep breath.

He felt her shake her head. "It is gone. I am sorry. I truly believed something was out there."

"Don't apologize." John relaxed slightly and lowered his gun, though he still kept a watchful eye. "With those damned… things popping in and out of nowhere, caution is a good thing."

"Yes," Teyla nodded, "but it does not help if we are… what is the saying…? Jumping at our own shadows?"

John chortled. "True. But I still want you to keep that Spidey Sense of yours on point." He smiled a little, imagining the slightly bemused expression that would have settled on her face. After four and a half years, the running joke he had about her almost supernatural instincts never got old.

"I will do so," she responded quietly.

Taking a deep breath, John once again started through the trees, Teyla right behind him.

---------------------------

"This is not going to work."

From his place guarding the hole in the Jumper's side, Ronon looked back at McKay as he dropped his pad on one of the benches in exasperation.

"What?" Ronon arched an eyebrow.

"This!" Rodney waved at the opened crystal trays, before dropping his hand and smacking the cover of the portable defibrillator. "There's no way I can make this interface work. The defibrillator has a capacitor, but it doesn't hold nearly enough juice for even basic jumper systems… and the crystals on the jumper that could hold enough power are fried. So even if I could send several bursts of power from the defibrillator to the jumper, there's no way of storing that power until it reaches a point where it'll be enough to do any good."

Ronon shook his head. He'd only understood about half of what McKay had said. It wasn't that he was a stupid man – Ronon liked to think he had at least average intelligence, and most of the time he could follow the Earth scientists' explanations – but frustration had McKay talking at gate travel speed. "Come on, McKay," he urged, "you can do this."

Rodney glared at him. "No, I can't," he answered shortly. "It's…." He was interrupted by a high-pitched keening that echoed around them. "Oh God…," he whispered.

Ronon raised his gun at the opening to the rear and waved one hand at Rodney. "Stay right there." Taking a deep breath, he watched intently, but still missed the attack when it came. The jumper shook and over his right shoulder, he heard the crash of breaking glass as the windshield buckled under an assault from the front.

Ronon whirled around and fixed his sights on a beast crouched just in front of the DHD. The animal shook its head once and snarled.

Ronon took two big steps up next to Rodney and fired, but his shot was a moment too late as the beast leapt at them.

---------------------------------------

John shook water out of his eyes and kept walking. The trees were thinning, while the loud thrumming of rain had lessened to a light pitter-patter on the ground. Stepping out of the dense vegetation at last, he found the grass around his feet was thick while the sky above, though grey, had grown brighter. To his right, the land dipped down toward a large pond, and John used it to guide their path.

On one hand, he was glad for the open land, it made it a lot easier to see if anything was stalking them, but on the other hand he felt uncomfortably exposed. There was no cover here: if they were attacked…. Almost as if his thoughts were prophetic, he was stopped in his track by a hail from Teyla.

"Colonel."

"Teyla?" He did a quick one eighty and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, but didn't have to wait for her response. From behind, in the trees somewhere, a loud screeching call answered him. "Aw, hell." He raised his gun and swallowed, staring over the top of his P-90. "Think they're after us?" he asked, even though he had a strong suspicion he knew what the answer would be.

"Yes," Teyla answered quietly.

John flipped the safety off on his gun. "Then they're in for a rude awakening. You take point, I'll stay on the six, and let's keep moving. Slowly, but keep moving."

Teyla stepped around him and started walking along the pond bank, with John backtracking behind her. They'd only gone a dozen steps or so, when Teyla stopped abruptly.

"What?" John asked, not turning his head.

"There is more than one," Teyla murmured.

"Yeah," John's gaze narrowed slightly at her obvious statement, before dread crept over him. "They're not…?" His voice trailed off, and Teyla picked up his thought, though he really wished she hadn't.

"We are surrounded," she confirmed with a note of finality.

"Damn it," John whispered. "Can you see the ones in front of you?"

"No," Teyla answered, "but they are there."

John backed up a half step and pressed his backpack against her back. "Looks like we're fighting our way out of this one," he quipped darkly.

"Yes." He felt Teyla's answering nod.

-------------------------------------

The weight of the beast slamming into him propelled Ronon backwards. His gun flew from his grip as his free hand locked onto the throat of the attacking animal. Somewhere, he heard Rodney's shout.

"Ronon!"

Devoid of his gun, Ronon brought his other hand up to join the first and pushed on the throat of the beast. His nose wrinkled at the carrion breath on his face as he tried to get his legs between him and the animal. It was his only chance to push it off before his arms weakened and the animal took him. He held tight and forced his legs upwards until suddenly, the beast went limp and fell against him, a dead weight on his chest. Wasting no time, he pushed it off him and rolled towards where his gun must've fallen, but he didn't see it.

It was only then that he realized the beast was motionless on the floor, a blackened wound on its side smoking from singed hair. Ronon looked up, his eyes widening as he caught sight of Rodney. His big gun looked almost comical in the scientist's hand, but there was nothing funny about Rodney's shot; it had saved Ronon's life.

After a moment, Rodney lowered the gun and looked over at Ronon. "You okay?"

Ronon stood and walked the couple steps over to Rodney before taking back his gun. "Yeah." One side of his mouth turned up slightly. "Thanks."

"Yes, well," Rodney scratched his head, "I could've used mine, but yours is, you know, better." Abruptly, his eyes widened at something over Ronon's shoulder. "Holy sh…!"

Ronon spun and immediately fired on another beast that had appeared just inside the Jumper, this time coming in through the hole in the twisted frame. His shot dropped the animal in its tracks.

"Jesus," Rodney whispered, and stepped further into the corner behind Ronon. "They're all over the damned place!"

Ronon took a couple deep breaths as his gaze flicked back and forth between the shattered windshield and the hole in the jumper's frame. There was no way he could cover both fronts equally and if they were attacked at the same time from different directions….

Ronon looked back at Rodney. "How do we close the door between us and the cockpit?"

Rodney stepped around Ronon and across the rear compartment. "We don't have any power, but there is a manual release for the door." He knelt and pulled off a panel under one of the bench seats to reveal a lever. "Let me…." He pulled the lever once and looked up expectantly, but the door didn't budge. "Oh no…." He pumped the lever two more times but still the door didn't move.

"What?" Busy watching both fronts, Ronon didn't spare him a glance.

"It's stuck! Probably from the crash." Rodney stood. "When we bent the frame enough to cause that," he pointed back at the hole, "it must have jammed the door as well."

Ronon gritted his teeth as he assessed the situation. After a moment, only one option presented itself. "We can't stay here."

"What? Are you, nuts?" Rodney shot back. "We can't go out there!"

"I can't defend both entries at the same time," Ronon answered, his own frustration creeping into his voice. Sure, McKay had a gun and could use it, but these things were strong… damned strong. If more than two attacked at once, they'd be trapped in the Jumper with no escape. What had been a defensible position was now, with the windshield out, a potential coffin.

"Sure you can," Rodney insisted, "you're… well… _Ronon!_"

Ronon arched an annoyed brow at Rodney. "And what if more than two attack at once? Where are we going to go?"

Rodney looked around at the solid walls surrounding them and swallowed hard. "Good point," he muttered. "Maybe we can catch up with Sheppard and Teyla?"

Ronon nodded. "Maybe."

"Right," Rodney sighed. He fished around in the cold weather gear pack and grabbed a thick parka. He pulled off his TAC vest and stuck his arms into the parka. "I'll probably get hypothermia and pneumonia from this venture," he grumbled as he zipped up first the coat, then his TAC vest over the top of it. Just as John had done, he grabbed a life-signs detector. "Let me calibrate this to hone in on the energy reading. We can't distinguish Teyla and Sheppard's life form readings from the rest around here, but wherever that energy signature is, they're likely to be." Rodney finished his adjustments and stuffed the detector into his vest.

Ronon had pointedly ignored Rodney's rambling. All he needed to do was get into the woods. Rain or no rain, he knew he could track their friends, no problem.

Still holding his gun, he pulled down another case with his free hand and flicked it open. Grabbing several nine mil clips, he held them out to Rodney. "Here."

Rodney took them. "This sucks," he commented as he stuffed the clips into various pockets in his vest.

Ronon's grunt perfectly expressed the cynicism he was feeling. He grabbed a spare nine mil for himself, reached behind his back and tucked it into the waistband of his pants. When he was sure Rodney was ready, he ducked out through the hole and out into the rain.

-----------------------------------------

John's instincts and reflexes were the only thing that saved him as he opened fire on a beast that appeared from nowhere, the shots going home practically before he could think about them. Behind him, he heard the rattle of Teyla's gun, but he focused on the targets in front of him that randomly appeared and disappeared. With swift expertise, he pulled the empty cartridge free of his gun and expertly loaded another one with hardly a break before he fired on the next target.

Another beast appeared to his right, but before he could fire, he felt Teyla lurch against him, and abruptly the comforting weight of her back against his pack disappeared.

John spun, his eyes widening as he watched Teyla and a beast slide down the short hill and into the pond. Raising his gun, John never got a chance to fire, as the beast that had been to his right slammed into him, propelling him to the ground.

John lost his P-90. With one hand on the beast's throat, he fumbled for his Beretta. He tightened his hold on the grip and forced the gun between himself and the snarling animal. Without hesitation, he emptied the clip into his attacker.

The beast went limp. Pushing it aside, John rolled and simultaneously grabbed his P-90, and then used his momentum to come to his feet. Leaping over the dead animal, he looked for Teyla; what he saw turned his blood cold.

In the shallows of the water, Teyla's head broke the surface briefly before the weight of the animal on top of her pushed her back under. Suddenly, all he could see were her arms, pushing desperately against the neck of the beast that had her pinned. John opened fire just as her elbows buckled.

John continued firing, his shots turning the side of the beast red, before he slid down the soft decline and sloshed into the knee deep water. "Teyla!" Pushing the animal aside, he plunged his free hand into the water, grabbed onto the front of her TAC vest and hauled her to the surface. He spared only a moment to look down at her closed eyes before he dragged her out of the water.

He knelt next to her and pressed his fingers into her throat, nodding in relief at the rapid pulse. He leaned over, his ear close to her nose as he watched her chest for any sign of breathing, but she was deathly still. "Damn it!" He dropped his P-90, tilted her head back and gave her two quick breaths before staring intently at her for a moment. He shook his head in frustration and gave her two more breaths. _Teyla! Don't do this!_ He rechecked her pulse and then repeated the cycle, determined to breathe life back into her. After all they'd gone through, everything they'd survived in the last four and a half years, he wasn't going to lose her to some freakish wild animal. He'd be damned if he was going to let Torren grow up without a mother! "Teyla!" he snapped quickly between breaths.

Suddenly, Teyla's body heaved and she coughed violently. John rolled her on her side as she drew in a loud, hoarse, breath, before falling into another coughing fit.

"Easy," John held her steady. "Teyla? You with me?"

She drew in a ragged breath, before nodding weakly. "J-ohn…?" she managed.

He squeezed her shoulder and helped her roll onto her back again. "Take it easy," he ordered. "You're okay." Relief swarmed through him when she opened her eyes and met his gaze. He smiled. "Hey." His voice was soft, in spite of his own rapid breathing.

"Beasts…?" Teyla tensed.

"Okay for now," John reassured her, even if he wasn't a hundred percent positive that was true. Though he took the fact that they weren't being attacked at the moment as a good sign.

Slowly, Teyla pushed herself up on her elbows before she stiffened and inhaled sharply, her eyes squeezing shut.

"Whoa," John put a restraining hand on her chest. "Easy, there. What is it?"

Teeth clenched, Teyla managed a response. "Right knee."

John scooted to his left and down next to her knee. Carefully, he wrapped his hands around it and pushed gently, feeling the swelling that was already beginning. He froze as Teyla hissed in pain again, and then let her leg go.

Standing, he trotted a half dozen steps away to retrieve her P-90 before returning to her side. Setting the weapon beside her, he held out a hand. "Let me help you sit up. Then I'll take a look at that knee while you watch for more of our… friends."

Teyla nodded, grabbing his wrist as his fingers circled around hers. Slowly, he pulled her to a sitting position. Steadying her knee, he helped her turn away from the water so she could watch the empty land around them.

Satisfied Teyla was watching his back, John set his P-90 close by and reached to unclip the backpack from his TAC vest. Rummaging around inside, he found the first aid kit and fished out a stout ace bandage. "We can't stay here," he commented as he ripped open the packing, "but I want to wrap your knee and immobilize it as best as possible." He looked up and met her gaze. "I'll help you walk, but we have to keep moving."

"I will not need help," Teyla answered.

John's gaze narrowed slightly. "I'll be the judge of that." He gave her a firm look before quickly wrapping her knee and securing the bandage with a couple of claw clips. He reached into the kit and grabbed a two-pack of Tylenol. "Here." He held it out to her along with his canteen.

Teyla took the pack, ripped it open and stuck the pills in her mouth, before washing them down with water. She passed the canteen back to John, who had reached inside the pack again, shifted things around and pulled out an extra coat. "Not as warm as these parkas, but its dry." He shrugged out of his TAC vest and parka and put on the spare jacket, before holding his parka out to her. "Here."

"John, no." Teyla shook her head. "I will take the other coat."

"No arguments," John insisted. "You're injured, I'm not. Besides, you're soaking wet. You're going to need it more than me. Now, take it." He shook the coat once for good measure.

Silently, Teyla took it and while John held his P-90 close and kept watch, she switched out of her wet coat and into the dry. John tied the wet parka to the back of the pack and once more secured the pack to his vest. Grabbing his P-90 again, he stood and extended his hand to her. "Nice and slow now."

Teyla nodded, grabbed his hand and shifted her good leg under her.

Carefully, John pulled her to her feet. He held firmly to her arm as she gingerly put weight on her injured leg. A strangled cry escaped her as she staggered, but John held fast, steadying her. He stepped around, hip to hip, and flung her arm over his shoulders. "That settles it." He wrapped his left arm around her waist.

"John…," Teyla started but he cut her off.

"Teyla." He gave her a no-nonsense look and arched a brow at her.

After a moment, Teyla nodded silently.

Without another word, John held tightly to her and they slowly resumed their course.

------------------------

Rodney wasn't sure if the rain starting to let up was a good or a bad thing. On one hand, the echo of rainfall was quieter now and the sounds of the forest were gradually becoming audible. The trade off was that every sound had him on edge wondering if something was going to jump out at him. _Why me?_ Rodney sighed internally. It was hard enough for him to fight off the feeling that he was going to be attacked any second under 'normal' circumstances during off world excursions, but this time… "Sheppard calls it paranoia," he muttered.

Ronon glanced back at him. "What?"

"Nothing." Abruptly, he spun and pulled his gun, a crack in the bushes to his left startling him. He could practically feel Ronon's glare as the big man stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"There's nothing there." Ronon's voice was confident.

Rodney swallowed, but refused to lower his gun. After all, the creatures did appear from nowhere…. "Are you sure?"

"McKay."

Rodney grimaced at Ronon's quiet, but irritated tone and lowered his gun. "Right. Sorry." He holstered his gun and turned and followed Ronon as the Satedan walked on.

"How far are we from the base?" Ronon threw back over his shoulder.

Rodney pulled out his life-signs detector and tapped a couple keys. "About a mile and a half…." His shoulders sagged. "We've only gone a half mile?" he asked of no one in particular.

Ronon seemed unfazed. "No way to locate Sheppard and Teyla?"

"Not unless I can calibrate this thing to pick up their sub-q transmitters, but I doubt it's capable of that kind of precision."

Ronon glanced up at the trees overhead. "All right, we keep heading for the base."

"Right," Rodney sighed. He followed Ronon in silence for a few minutes before the big man spoke again.

"Sheppard was right, you know."

Rodney's gaze, fixed on Ronon's back, narrowed. "About what?"

"You **are** paranoid," Ronon replied.

Rodney glared at the Satedan's back. "Very funny."


	2. Chapter 2

John could feel the burn in his legs, but he tuned it out. He stopped and gave Teyla a moment to find her balance before he released his grip on her waist, before reaching into his vest and pulling out his detector.

Her arm still draped over his shoulder, Teyla used him to steady herself. "How far?" she gasped.

John took a deep breath. "Half mile at the most." He looked over at Teyla, his gaze narrowing. A sheen of sweat covered her brow and her breathing was rapid. They'd kept a fast pace, but Teyla had been hobbling along on one good leg the whole distance, and she was exhausted, although he knew she wouldn't own up to it. "Let's take ten." He slipped the detector back into his vest pocket.

"I am fine. It is imperative that we get to the base as soon as possible."

Her answer was predictable, but John still wouldn't have anything to do with it. The small smile he gave her was a knowing one. "I wasn't talking about you," he lied. "I'm exhausted." He winked at her.

Teyla smiled slightly and turned her head away for a moment, before she looked back at him and nodded.

John shrugged out from under her shoulder and held tightly to her forearm as he slowly lowered her to the ground. He knelt and unclipped the canteen from his belt before holding it out to her. "How's the knee?"

Teyla took a long sip and then handed the canteen back to him. "It is… painful. But I will be fine."

John took one sip of water before returning the canteen to his belt and looking back the direction they'd come from. Without communications, he had no idea what Rodney and Ronon's situation was, or even if they were still alive. The fact that they hadn't radioed him was a pretty clear indication that Rodney hadn't had any success with the jumper's power systems yet. John pursed his lips and hoped they were okay.

"Trust in their skills, John." Teyla spoke quietly. "They can take care of themselves, and each other."

John sighed. "Yeah." He drew in a deep breath and stood, before extending his arm to Teyla. "We need to keep moving."

Teyla nodded in agreement and took his hand.

John pulled her to her feet but froze as her expression turned guarded and she stiffened slightly. She looked past him and around them, before her eyes met his. "It is too quiet," She whispered.

John looked behind him and then back at her. He couldn't see or hear anything, and that alone made him uneasy. He draped her arm over his shoulder and once more wrapped his free arm around her waist. "Let's go." Without another word, they continued on their way.

---------------------

"The trees are thinning."

Ronon resisted the urge to roll his eyes at McKay's obvious statement. "Yep."

"At least we'll be able to see more than ten feet in front of us," Rodney pointed out.

"Easier to attack us; we'll be out in the open," Ronon commented absently as he looked around. To his right, he could see a pond.

"Can't you ever see the positive in anything?" Rodney snapped.

"You're one to talk." Ronon's gaze narrowed and he stopped abruptly as he spotted motionless bodies ahead of them. He stiffened. "Beasts."

"Oh no," Rodney lamented quietly.

Ronon took one step forward and nodded to himself. "They're dead."

"Sheppard and Teyla killed them?"

Ronon cautiously walked towards the first body and noted the bloody wounds in the side of the dead animal. "Yep. Gunshot wounds."

Rodney looked around. "They had a hell of a fight."

Ronon smiled smugly. "But they won." His gaze fixed on a beast floating motionless in the pond. He looked down and saw skid marks in the mud leading down to the shore. Following them, he slid down to the water's edge.

"What is it?" Rodney hurriedly followed him.

"Not sure." Ronon looked around before pointing at a depression in the dirt. "Someone lay there." He pointed at the torn up mud near the water. "Someone was dragged out of the water there." He knelt and picked up a discarded plastic wrapper. "Bandage." He looked up at Rodney. "One of them is injured." His gaze returned to the depression in the dirt. Worry sprang up deep inside him and he resisted the urge to take off at a full run to find his friends. He knew McKay would never be able to keep up, and he wouldn't leave the scientist behind and alone.

"Oh no…." Rodney breathed in sharply. "Which one?"

Ronon looked up at him. "Does it matter?"

Rodney shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Well, no but…."

"Teyla," Ronon interrupted. He pointed at the depression. "Too small for Sheppard." He stood and walked a few paces before he isolated a specific set of tracks. "They left." He pointed. "Combat boots. Too big to be Teyla, has to be Sheppard. His stride is uneven." He pointed at one more boot print that followed the same track as the other two but to one side. "Teyla's leg is injured. Only one print, and it's deep, as if she carries all her weight on one foot. Sheppard is helping her, that's why his stride is rough." Ronon looked up and off in direction that the boot prints led. "That'll slow them down. If we move quickly, we might be able to catch up to them."

"How quickly is quickly?"

Ronon turned and glared at him. Without another word, he took off at a brisk trot, following the tracks. Behind him, he heard Rodney's loud sigh but the scientist followed without comment. But Ronon only made it a dozen steps before his instincts screamed a warning at him and he stopped dead in his tracks. "McKay!" He turned and pulled his gun.

Rodney staggered to a stop and stared wide-eyed at him. "What?" He grabbed his Beretta.

Ronon sniffed once and stared over the top of his gun, looking for anything that needed to be shot. His gaze narrowed. His eyes saw nothing, but his instincts refused to be silenced. After his instincts had kept him alive for seven years as a Runner, he wasn't about to start discounting them now. "Something's out there."

Rodney edged closer to him. "I don't suppose its Sheppard and Teyla?" he asked hopefully.

"No," Ronon answered. "Beasts. Probably smelled the blood." He turned and faced the opposite way to McKay.

"Oh, this is so not good," Rodney whispered. "Can't we just… you know, get away?"

"We're surrounded," Ronon answered flatly. He took a deep breath, relishing the familiar adrenaline as it coursed through him. "We'll have to fight our way out."

"Not what I wanted to hear," Rodney grumbled.

"McKay," Ronon spared Rodney a warning glance.

"I know, I know, I get it." Rodney raised his gun.

Ronon returned his attention to the empty space around him… empty to his eyes, but his instincts told him it was cluttered with danger and heightened his senses. He could feel the beasts nearby, sense the absence of other animals… taste the danger. His reflexes reacted almost before his eyes perceived a threat, and two shots from his gun dropped an attacking beast. Behind him, he could hear gunfire, but he could only focus on the attackers before him.

-----------------------

John stopped as he and Teyla crested a small hill. Before them, in the near distance, he could see the rubble remains of a structure. Though worn and battered, the architecture was definitely Ancient. He looked over at Teyla and smiled slightly. "That's it."

Teyla returned the smile. "Yes. How much time do we have?"

John looked down at his watch and his smile faded. "It's already been two hours. We've missed our check in. Hope we can figure out how to warn the rescue party quickly." He tightened his grip on Teyla and started down the decline. "Our friends still around?"

Teyla nodded. "Yes, they're…." She stumbled to a stop, her sudden move pulling John off balance slightly.

He staggered but compensated. "What? Beasts?"

"Yes." Teyla pulled away from him and lowered her injured leg. She hissed in pain, but stood on her own two feet before raising her gun.

"Damn it," John muttered. He raised his own weapon and looked around. "Where…?" His voice trailed off as a beast suddenly appeared right before him. Immediately, he opened fire.

--------------------------

Richard would never put his instincts up against any one of the Atlantis veterans. After all, he'd spent his life as a bureaucrat, pushing papers and judging others. But he couldn't help but think of the hesitation he'd had when he'd sent his alpha team off on this mission in the first place. Now, in hindsight, he wished he'd revoked his permission entirely. Instead, he was now staring at an active wormhole, waiting for a reply that wasn't coming. "Colonel Sheppard this is Atlantis. Please respond." He really didn't know why he'd tried hailing the team again when the first three attempts had been fruitless. Sighing deeply, he turned around and met gazes with his operations officer. "Shut it down, Amelia. Then call Major Lorne to my office immediately." Richard barely waited for her nod before he turned and headed for his office, his stride purposeful.

He stopped just across the threshold, his gaze landing on the picture of his beloved Yorkie which sat on the bookcase behind his desk; just one more prize his ex-wife had taken. His gaze narrowed slightly. The divorce had been messy: she'd called him judgmental, uncompromising, and critical, amongst other terms he preferred not to think about. It hadn't been any concern of the IOA when they'd chosen him, but his strife with his ex-wife had a lot to do with his accepting the post. Coming to Atlantis had been a way to make a fresh start.

His thoughts turned to his command of Atlantis. Ever since the expedition's inception, he'd followed the events on Atlantis closely: scrutinized every decision, even spoken out against choices Weir had made….

That was until he'd seen Weir in action, and seen those decisions being made in real time. His perspective had changed at that moment, and from then on forward, he'd had nothing in his heart but admiration for her. The tragedy of her loss had been substantial; unbeknownst to even Colonel Sheppard, he'd nearly lost his position with the IOA defending the actions that had led to her demise, defending her, and even Sheppard, against the criticism of the other IOA members. The dose of reality Carter had given him last year had only reinforced his belief in and respect for the people that commanded the base before him. But when the IOA had decided to remove Carter from command, no amount of protesting on his part could change their minds. And when they'd offered command to him, it was something he couldn't resist.

He'd come here with every intention of going by the book, following the rules, and running a tight, orderly base. Atlantis and Pegasus, it seemed, had other ideas: from the get go, he'd found himself bending the rules and making decisions much like his predecessors had. Briefly, he wondered what his ex-wife would think of her uncompromising and judgmental ex-husband now.

Richard walked around his desk, running his hand over the smooth surface, before he slowly lowered himself into his chair. Bending and even breaking the rules he truly believed in was something he still struggled to reconcile within himself, but, as he watched Lorne cross Ops and head towards his office, Richard pushed aside that internal argument for another day. He waited another moment until Lorne stood in his doorway. "Major," he said, as he gestured to a chair. "Have a seat."

Lorne walked into his office. "With all due respect, Mr. Woolsey, I'd rather stand." He tilted his head. "Colonel Sheppard's team?"

Woolsey sighed. He'd read Sheppard's report on Lorne more than once, and knew the colonel's praise of the major wasn't unfounded. Lorne had good instincts. "They missed their check in and aren't responding to our calls."

Lorne nodded once. "I'll get a team together right away. I want Zelenka too. Don't know what we're facing out there, but it'd be good to have him along, just in case." He turned, but only took two steps before he stopped and looked back at Woolsey. "With your permission, Mr. Woolsey?"

Richard stared back at him for a moment. There was no way to know exactly what had happened to Sheppard's team and it was a very real possibility that Lorne's team could suffer the same fate the instant they passed through the Stargate.

"Mr. Woolsey?" Lorne's voice was edged with urgency.

"_We never leave our people behind, Mr. Woolsey, that's one of many things I've learned from Colonel Sheppard."_ Richard could hear Elizabeth's voice, uncompromising in her defense of Sheppard, echoing in his head. Of all the things she'd ever said to him, that one statement stuck in his mind more than anything else. It was a military tradition but, as they found themselves cut off alone in the Pegasus galaxy that first year, it'd become part of the fabric of the expedition's culture.

"Mr.… Woolsey." Lorne repeated pointedly.

"Go." Richard responded. He watched Lorne's retreating back and hoped silently he hadn't sent another team to share his alpha team's fate, whatever it was.

------------------------------

Rodney's hand easily found the eject for his gun, and he dropped the empty clip and loaded another one. In spite of the danger, the irony of how easily he could reload wasn't lost on him. He, Doctor Rodney McKay, a man who had little or no use for physical violence, reloading a gun with practiced expertise.

Rodney pushed the thought aside and concentrated on firing on one approaching beast and then another; anything moving towards him was fair game. He kept a half watch on Ronon, who was soundly dispatching attackers behind him, but Rodney was forced to concentrate on dealing only with the beasts attacking from his side. Deep down, he knew Ronon wouldn't let anything attack him from behind; Ronon had his six, as Sheppard would say, and Rodney was bound and determined to return the favor.

Again, Rodney was forced to reload and yet Ronon kept firing, his gun seemingly inexhaustible. _Got to get one of those!_ Rodney slipped another clip into place and fired. "How many are there?" he yelled, not particularly expecting an answer.

"Lots!" Ronon shouted back.

At that moment, Rodney wished he could spare the attention for a scathing reply, but it was all he could do to keep his attackers at bay. He dropped another beast and then paused, scanning the empty area in front of him but not finding another target. A scuffle from his left preceded Ronon's loud shout and Rodney spun, but didn't have a chance to react as a beast leapt on him. The last thing Rodney felt, before the cold of darkness took him, was hot, putrid breath on his face and hard ground against his back.

-----------------------------------

John lowered his gun, his wary gaze passing over the dead beasts in front of him. "Not as many this time," he pointed out, adding with dark humor, "Maybe they're giving up on us."

"Or we are just killing enough to make a difference," Teyla countered.

"Whatever the reason," John ejected the clip from his P-90, "I don't see any more around. I'm out of ammo. Get me a couple clips from the pack." He stood still as Teyla opened the backpack and shoved her hand inside. Before long, she held two clips out to him, keeping two more for herself.

John loaded one, and slipped the other into his vest. Once again, he grabbed hold of Teyla. "Come on. That place is bound to be more defensible than being out in the open like this. Besides, we gotta warn the rescue team." He set off down the hill, Teyla hobbling alongside him.

It didn't take them long to reach the ruins. Stopping in front of the weather-worn structure, John looked up and down its length. In many ways, it reminded him of the central spire of Atlantis, though it was much smaller, shorter and a little wider. He looked at the flat, smooth surface in front of him. "Door?"

Teyla pulled her arm off his shoulders and balanced herself on the side of the building. "It would appear so."

John reached out, gently pressing his palm against the smooth surface as he mentally commanded it to open. They'd encountered Ancient bases before that only required the touch of someone with the gene to grant access, but this didn't seem to be one of them. _One of these times, our luck has gotta change!_ "Damn," he muttered. "Worth a try."

"Perhaps there is an access panel?" Teyla pushed away some vines and branches from nearby bushes as she searched the walls. It didn't take her long. "Here," she pointed.

John looked over her shoulder and smiled at the distinctly hand-shaped indentation in the wall. "Looks promising." Reaching out, he settled his hand into the print and again sent the mental command to open. For a moment, nothing happened, before the wall before them groaned, shuddered and slowly slid open. "That's more like it." He grinned at Teyla.

Flicking on the light on his P-90, he scanned the immediate area inside the building but saw nothing besides a long corridor. He helped Teyla through the doorway. Just inside, he inspected the walls around the entrance. "No sign of another hand panel. Weird. You'd think they'd have a way to get out as well as in." He sighed. "Wish we could close this behind us."

"Yes," Teyla agreed. "Maybe there is a way to close it in the control room?"

John nodded. "Yeah." He grabbed hold of Teyla and helped her along as they slowly made their way down the dark corridor.

--------------------------------

As his scattered thoughts started coming together, Rodney really wondered who was shaking him and why… and he wished they'd just _stop_. His thoughts coalescing, he tried to put into words the numerous snappy protests that crossed his mind, but all he could muster was a groan. Apparently that was enough, as the blasted jarring stopped.

"McKay?"

_Ronon…._ Rodney groaned again before opening his eyes. What met his gaze wasn't at all what he expected to see. He closed his eyes, wondering if he'd lost it. _The horizon shouldn't be upside down and the ground three feet away!_ Slowly, he opened his eyes again, but everything was the same. It was only then that he felt his own crushing weight against something… and something, or someone had a firm grip on one of his arms and one of his legs. Finally his thoughts came together and he realized he hadn't lost his mind, although working out what was actually going on was scant comfort. "Put me down!" he managed, and the ground got closer as Ronon crouched and shifted him off his shoulders.

Rodney lay there for a second, before his gaze fixed on Ronon, who knelt next to him.

"Glad you're awake," Ronon commented quietly. "You were gettin' heavy."

"You were carrying me?" Rodney's voice was colored with as much disbelief as he was feeling.

Ronon's gaze was slightly amused. "Yep."

"Do you realize the damage you could've done?" Rodney snapped. "I could've had back injuries, or neck injuries or… injuries!" He pushed himself up on his elbows. "You could've killed me!"

"Didn't have time to wait for you to wake up." Ronon's answer was unfazed. "Beast didn't hit you that hard."

"Hard enough to knock me out!" Rodney shot back.

"You look fine to me."

"Oh, thank you for your expert opinion, Dr. Schweitzer!" Rodney pushed himself up on his elbows and lifted a hand. "Want to help me up here?"

Ronon stared at him, deadpan, for another moment, before he stood and extended his hand.

Rodney grimaced at the aches in his body as he let Ronon pull him to his feet and closed his eyes against the throbbing in his head.

"We need to get moving, McKay," Ronon pointed out.

His eyes still closed, Rodney waved his direction. "Just… give me a second!" The words had no sooner left his mouth than a screeching wail reached his ears and echoed around them. His eyes snapped open and he met Ronon's gaze.

"Second's up."

Rodney nodded. "Yeah, I think so." Adrenaline muted the pain in his head as he followed Ronon towards a distant hill.

------------------------------------------

Lorne immediately pulled up the HUD as the jumper emerged from the Stargate and into open space. He felt a slight shudder as the drive pods extended, and he gently banked the craft towards the planet. "Anything, Doc?" He glanced over at the co-pilot's seat, where Zelenka was scrutinizing the HUD readings.

"There is an unusual energy field surrounding the planet. Seems to be naturally occurring. Is hard to get any precise readings," Zelenka's frown deepened.

Lorne stared at the planet, bathed in the opaque hue of its atmosphere. Sheppard's team must be somewhere around here…. He opened a communications channel. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. Do you copy?" He looked upwards as if he could see any response coming from the colonel, but the open channel remained silent. "I repeat. Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. Do you read me?" He glanced at Zelenka, who shrugged.

"It could be the odd properties in the planet's atmosphere interfering with communications." Zelenka tapped a couple buttons on his controls.

Lorne nodded once, more to himself than to the doctor. "Okay, let's head down to the planet to investigate." He pushed the jumper into a slow descent.

"Wait, Major." Zelenka raised his hand. "I am picking up a residual energy trail. The signature matches the jumper's propulsion system."

"Where does it go?" Lorne looked around almost as if he expected to see the trail through the jumper's windshield.

"Towards the planet," Zelenka answered.

"Okay, all the more reason to get down there," Lorne returned his attention to the planet as it grew larger in front of them.

"Wait, that might not be a good idea," Zelenka looked up at the planet and then at Lorne.

"Why?" Lorne asked. "If they're down there, they could be in trouble."

"Yes, but we cannot communicate with them."

Lorne frowned. "You said that was because of the planet's atmosphere."

"Is likely, yes, but it is also possible that the same interference will affect the jumper. Based on these readings, it seems unlikely, but there is some reason why Colonel Sheppard's team is not communicating with us. Perhaps we should be sure what that reason is before we venture too close?"

Lorne sighed. He was itching to get down to the planet and find their people, but what good would a rescue be if they ended up needing to be rescued as well? "Wouldn't McKay have determined that before they went in for a closer look?"

"Possibly," Zelenka answered. "But if I did not have the history of Colonel Sheppard's team disappearing to make me suspicious, I would not think the odd readings would pose any danger."

Lorne pressed his lips together. "We're toeing awfully close to being paranoid here, Doc."

Zelenka nodded. "Yes, but in this case, I believe the term is prudent?"

Lorne frowned at the scientist's response. "Okay, holding in a high orbit for now. But," he threw a determined look at Zelenka, "figure out what's going on down there, and do it quickly."

Zelenka nodded and returned his attention to the controls under his hands.

Lorne watched him for a moment before gazing at the planet. If his people were down there and in trouble, then the last thing he wanted to do was sit in orbit doing nothing. He'd give Zelenka a little time, but only a little, before they'd go in, orbital readings be damned.

---------------------------------

John could feel the shift in the air around them as they apparently left a low-ceilinged hallway and entered a much larger room. He shone his light upwards, but the beam wasn't long enough to find the ceiling. Bringing his light back down, he scanned around them. "Gotta be a control panel around here somewhere."

"There," Teyla was shining her light across the room..

John shone his light towards where hers pointed and smiled slightly as both beams reflected off a large, Ancient-style, control panel. He helped Teyla over to it, before leaving her leaning on one side while he walked around behind it. "Let's see how much of Rodney's 'Ancient Tech 101' I remember…." He only needed to push a couple buttons before the console whined and dim lights turned on all around them. The whine grew louder and the lights brighter. It wasn't long before the whole room was illuminated and the whine faded into a soft hum in the background. John smiled at Teyla. "More than I thought apparently." He looked around the console. "Communications…. Communications…," he muttered.

"Do you think Mr. Woolsey has already sent a rescue team?" Teyla asked.

John's gaze never left the controls. "Count on it. We're almost an hour overdue."

Teyla hobbled around the console and stopped next to him. "They may have already crashed, John."

John paused in his tinkering for a moment and looked at her. "I'm going to be optimistic and believe they're still in orbit." Abruptly, he looked back at the panel as a thought came to him. "Sensors." He tapped another couple of keys, and a display very similar to the jumper's HUD, popped up on the hanging crystal monitor in front of them.

"Let me," Teyla pushed a couple buttons. "Extending the sensors to orbital range."

John smiled. "Thanks. Where…?"

"Dr. Zelenka." She responded with a small smile of her own. "He is very… detailed when he is excited about explaining something."

John chuckled. "Glad you were listening." His gaze focused on a dot apparently in orbit. He pointed. "Any readings on that?"

"Just a moment," Teyla answered as she tapped another couple keys.

Abruptly, the display changed as it focused in on the dot, which morphed into a schematic of a jumper. Next to the image, lines of sensor data scrolled by. John's smile widened. "They're still in orbit."

"But that will not last," Teyla answered. "If they believe we are down here, they will attempt to land to find us."

John nodded. "Yeah, gotta warn 'em." He tapped a key and opened a communications channel. "Unidentified jumper, this is Colonel John Sheppard. Authentication code: bravo, delta, charlie, alpha, niner. Do not approach the planet. Repeat. Do not approach the planet. Stay in orbit." He dropped his head, pursing his lips as his hail was met with silence. He looked up. "Unidentified jumper, do you copy? Do not approach the planet." He shook his head. "Something ain't workin." He glanced at Teyla. "Don't suppose you…?"

"No," Teyla shook her head. "I do not know much about communications; only how to open a channel."

"Damn," John looked helplessly at the console. "Where the hell is McKay when you need him?"

--------------------------------

"More dead beasts." Ronon worked his way between bodies, his gun ready for any movement. "Sheppard and Teyla have to be getting low on ammo."

Rodney nodded quietly, his wide-eyed gaze flicking from one dead beast to another. They were huge, their faces frozen in hideous snarls. Even dead, they sparked fear with in him. He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and continued following his Satedan team mate. _How do I manage to get myself into these messes? I should be back in my warm, safe lab, studying power sources and Ancient technology, not traipsing through a damp forest, waiting for some damned carnivore to appear out of nowhere and eviscerate me!_

"McKay."

Rodney jumped, and then took a deep breath before responding. He looked at Ronon. "What?"

Ronon stared at him for a moment, his expression somewhat understanding. "They're dead."

Rodney swallowed hard and nodded. "Right."

Ronon nodded back once and crested the small hill. "Right." He stopped at the top and waved Rodney on. "Look."

Rodney climbed the last few feet and stood next to Ronon. Slowly, a smile formed on his face as the sharp but graceful lines of an Ancient structure met his gaze. "Oh yeah," he whispered.

Ronon slapped him on the arm, before starting down the hill, slowly making his way through more dead beasts. "Looks like Sheppard and Teyla made it."

"With any luck, a rescue team is on the way," Rodney added, surrendering, just for a minute, to a feeling of hope. "We might actually get out of this alive." The words had no sooner left his mouth when the powering up of Ronon's gun made him wonder, just for a moment, why he ever traded his pessimistic outlook for an optimistic one.

"Watch out!" Ronon shouted as he opened fire.

-----------------------------------

John took a deep breath. "Okay, we can't talk to them, but maybe there's another way." He unclipped his P-90 from his vest and held it out to Teyla.

"What are you doing?" She took the proffered weapon.

"Improvising." John knelt and scooted underneath the console. He pulled an access panel away and stared for a moment at the circuitry. "Now, how did I do it last time?" he muttered to no one in particular.

"Do what?" Teyla inquired.

"Send an SOS. Last year, when Larrin captured me." John closed his eyes for a moment, pulling on memories.

"Subspace Morse Code," Teyla answered. "I have been meaning to ask you where you learned to do that with Ancient technology."

John smiled as he carefully extracted a crystal. "McKay. With his ego, he thinks everything he says goes right over my head, but I pick up a few things here and there." He began carefully tapping the free crystal against another, seated one. "Here's hoping whoever's in that jumper is monitoring subspace communications… and knows what the hell they're hearing."

------------------------------

Lorne sighed loudly and threw an irritated look at Zelenka. For the past twenty minutes, he'd been sitting there, staring at the planet and listening to Czech mutterings, while the scientist worked over his console. Lorne could feel the impatience from his men behind him, who sat quietly in the back of the jumper. He took a deep breath. "Doc?"

"This takes time, Major," Zelenka responded. "I am not certain of anything at this moment, except that the odd energy reading is definitely interfering with communications. I am working on compensating for it now."

Lorne's gaze narrowed. "What about being able to land safely on the planet?"

"I do not know at this point," Zelenka answered. "But it is reasonable to believe that if the energy interferes with communications, propulsion could be susceptible as well. I recommend we hold orbit until I know for sure."

Lorne ground his teeth. It wasn't the answer he wanted to hear, not by a long shot. "Doc…," his voice trailed off as Zelenka's console beeped insistently at him. "What is it?"

Zelenka tapped a couple of buttons. "The jumper has detected an odd repeating pattern in subspace."

Lorne resisted the urge to sigh again. "And that means…?"

"Well, as Rodney discovered last year, the Ancients designed a program to monitor subspace… static, for lack of a better description, looking for repeating patterns that could indicate communication by other intelligent life forms." Zelenka pushed his glasses up on his nose. "We also discovered that the jumpers carried the same program. It was reasonable, really, given that jumpers travel through the gate to sometimes distant areas of the galaxy. It would be likely that the Ancients would encounter intelligent but technologically more primitive life on their travels."

"Fascinating, Doc," Lorne jumped in before Zelenka could continue his thought. "Care to circle back to the situation?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry." Zelenka looked a little embarrassed. "It is possible someone is trying to communicate with us."

Lorne nodded. "Let's hear it."

"Major, it is just a repeating pattern of noise, not language," Zelenka pointed out.

"Call me curious." Lorne shrugged. "Turn it on." His gaze narrowed as static buzzed over the jumper's com system. Woven into the white noise, distinct clicking sounds could be heard. Lorne listened for another moment, before his eyes widened. He swiveled around in his chair. "Jorgenson! How's your Morse Code?"

Sergeant Jorgenson jumped up and walked towards the major. "With all due respect, probably better than yours, sir."

"Funny," Lorne's half smile was cynical. "What are you hearing?"

Jorgenson looked up at the ceiling and listened for a moment. "Morse Code," he answered, then half smiled at Lorne's exasperated sigh. "Sorry sir, hold on." He squinted. "Danger… to… jumpers. Stay… away. Sheppard… b… d… c… a… niner. End message."

"BDCA-niner? Zelenka asked.

Lorne nodded. "Bravo, delta, charlie, alpha, niner. It's Colonel Sheppard's personal authentication code. That's him talking, for sure." Lorne half smiled at Zelenka. "Seems you were right about trying to land on the planet."

Zelenka smiled back for a second before he stood, walked back to the fuselage of the jumper and pulled open a crystal bay. "We can send him a message back in the same manner."

Lorne watched him for a moment before nodding at Jorgenson. "Sergeant, acknowledge the message. Tell him Dr. Z's here and working the problem. Tag my authentication code, delta, delta, charlie, five, two, five, on the end of it."

"Yes, sir." Jorgenson walked back to Zelenka and took the proffered crystal from him, before tapping out a quick message.

-----------------------------

John smiled as distinct dashes and dots sounded over the base comm channel. "Sounds like they got our message."

"What are they saying?" Teyla asked.

"They're working the problem. Auth code… It's Lorne. He's got Zelenka with him."

"Then we just need to be patient and wait," Teyla answered.

"Except I'd feel better if I knew Ronon and Rodney were okay." John squinted at the circuits in front of him. "Maybe I can figure out how to boost the signal and get a message to them over radios?"

Teyla bent over and looked at him. "Do you know what you are doing?"

John grimaced. "Not really." He quirked his brows. "How hard could it be?"

"Hmm." There were no words in Teyla's response, but her doubt was clear.

"Right…." John's reply was cut short by an echoing sound that sent a wave of adrenaline through him. He scooted out from under the console, nearly whacking his head on the edge for his efforts, but the near accident didn't matter to him. The only thing that did was the faint but unmistakable sound of gunfire. He jumped to his feet, taking his P-90 back from Teyla. "That's a nine mil," he commented, raising his gun warily.

"If the rescue party is still in orbit, then it must be Rodney and Ronon." Teyla hobbled up next to him.

"What the hell are they doing here?" John listened again to the repetitive gunfire. "Never mind that. They're in trouble." His gaze narrowed as he quickly made a decision. "Stay here and monitor communications. I'll be back." He sprinted towards the entrance.

"Be careful," Teyla called after him.

John waved behind him as he left the room and sprinted down the long corridor leading to the exit. What the hell were they doing out there? Why hadn't they stayed with the jumper? Half a dozen questions raced through his head, but he dismissed each of them as irrelevant given the urgency of the situation. Why they were here didn't matter. What did matter was that they were out there and they were in trouble.

He squinted as the dim light of the base was replaced with overcast sunshine, and as soon as his feet hit soft dirt, He stopped, his gun raised, as he scanned the area around him. He couldn't see anything but, as this planet and these beasts had taught him, that didn't mean he wasn't being hunted. More gunfire grabbed his attention, and squashed his sense of caution. Lowering his gun, John took off at a full run towards the fight.

---------------------------------

Rodney's breaths were deep, heavy and fast. Fatigue made his muscles shake, but adrenaline countered it and he continued firing. As he dropped beast after beast, the echoing staccato shots of his Beretta were offset by deep resonating bursts from Ronon's gun. But the melody was short lived as he fired his last bullet and the gun clicked harmlessly. "I'm out!" He spun towards Ronon, who was at least a dozen paces away. _How did we get separated?_ "Ronon!"

Ronon sprinted towards him, but was forced to stop short by two more beasts that had to be dealt with. While Ronon was busy, Rodney's attention was captured by a deep growl, something resembling the low cry his cat gave him when she was really pissed… except this was no housecat. He turned, his gaze fixing on a beast that crouched a short distance away. It snarled and drew back its lips, revealing a long line of sharp teeth. Head lowered, the animal's muscles bunched as it shifted its feet under itself. In that moment, Rodney knew he was in deep trouble. "Ohh…" he whispered. "Niiiice… kitty?"

"McKay! Hit the dirt!"

Rodney didn't spare a moment to wonder who'd yelled at him in a voice that definitely wasn't Ronon's; he just dropped flat on the ground. His eyes widened as the beast leapt but was spun mid-air by rapid automatic gunfire. Its snarls turned pained before it fell silent and hit the ground hard. Rodney stared at it for a long moment, but it remained motionless. He let out a loud breath and pushed himself up. "Jesus!"

"Rodney! You okay?"

Rodney looked over his shoulder. Behind him, John stood in a wide stance, his P-90 aimed directly at the beast that had attacked Rodney. "Sheppard! Where the hell did you come from?"

Slowly, John lowered his gun. "You're welcome," he answered dryly.

"Oh." Rodney swallowed. "Thanks." His voice cracked and he cleared his throat before standing up.

Ronon holstered his gun and walked over to the colonel. "Good to see you in one piece."

John smiled slightly and nodded once. "Likewise. Come on. Lorne's in orbit with Zelenka. Teyla's back at the base."

"Is she okay?" Ronon asked. "Found your tracks. Looked like she was injured."

"Twisted knee." John smiled. "She's okay." His gaze narrowed. "What are you two doing here? Why'd you leave the jumper?"

"Beasts," Ronon answered. "Busted the windshield and we couldn't close off the cockpit. Too dangerous to stay put."

John nodded. "All right. Well, this makes the rescue easier, that's for sure."

Rodney ejected the clip on his side arm. "Uh, little help here?" He waved the gun.

John reached down, grabbed the spare clip for his Beretta and tossed it at Rodney. "Here, let's go." He started off at a jog towards the base.

Rodney loaded the fresh clip and followed behind. He spared a moment to wonder how they'd communicated with the jumper in orbit but pushed aside his questions for a safer time.

------------------------

Teyla braced herself against the console, her gun held ready. She could hear the distinct snarl of beasts echoing from the long hallway as they made their way towards her. It was foolish to think they didn't know she was there. She'd encountered enough carnivores on hunts in her lifetime to know that they smelled her… sensed her, just as she sensed them. It was a relationship… a balance of life between hunter and hunted that she'd known as long as she could remember. But this time, who was the hunter and who was the hunted? Her gaze narrowed. She'd been hunted by her prey before and had survived. This time, it would be no different.

Gun snug against her shoulder, she watched with her eyes and felt with the rest of her senses, looking… searching for that attack. When it came, she was ready and opened fire without hesitation.

---------------------------

At the doorway to the base, John staggered to a stop, the sound of automatic gunfire echoing around him. "Teyla!" He sprinted down the corridor, momentarily reassured by the footsteps of Ronon and McKay right behind him. If he'd left the base to help Ronon and McKay, only to lose Teyla…. John pushed the thought away. Gunfire continued to echo around him: Teyla was still alive.

He burst into the control room, gun raised, and immediately fired on the first target he could find. Beside him, Ronon and Rodney fanned out, each firing at several beasts that had encircled Teyla. Attacked from behind, the beasts spread out, some turning towards John, Ronon and Rodney, others still stalking Teyla, who continued firing as well.

John dropped a beast in front of him, and then turned and took out one threatening to flank Ronon. The superior firepower tipped the balance, and it wasn't long before the entire pride was dead.

John lowered his gun and breathed deeply. "Teyla?"

She nodded once. "Thank you." Her attention turned to Ronon and Rodney. "I am relieved to see both of you are well."

Ronon flashed her a half smile as he walked from one beast to another, assuring himself they were dead. "Same here."

"What **is** it with these things?" Rodney sidestepped a carcass and made a beeline for the console. "They take aggression to a whole new level."

"The blood," Ronon answered. "They smell the blood of the dead ones. It attracts more here and makes all of them more aggressive." He walked over to the entrance of the room and held his gun ready as he watched the corridor for any attack.

"Ronon is right," Teyla nodded. "I have seen this sort of behavior with predators on several worlds. The smell of blood will attract many of them, from miles around."

"Let's see if we can find a way to shut the entry door," John suggested as he walked up next to Rodney. "And find a way to enhance communications. I'd rather speak to Lorne than have to use Morse Code."

"Morse Code?" Rodney paused and looked at him. "Oh, subspace! Same trick you used when Larrin caught you?"

John smiled smugly. "Yep."

Rodney's expression turned cynical. "Huh. Unimaginative but effective." He knelt. "What did you do to my crystals?"

John glared at the top of Rodney's head. "_Your_ crystals?"

"Oh, just… you know what I mean," Rodney shot back. After a minute he stood again. "Let's see what that does…." He tapped a couple keys and the display changed.

"The beasts," Teyla pointed at the display screen.

"Yeah," Rodney agreed. "Looks like we stumbled onto the Ancient's research notes." He squinted at the readings. "They're called Felinidae…. Hmm, sounds like Felidae. Huh. That's the biological family for all cats."

John arched an eyebrow as Rodney made eye contact with him.

"What?" Rodney answered. "I like cats and I own one… or rather I did…. Anyway, if you're going to own an animal, you should know all about it."

John glanced at the tolerant look on Teyla's face before he looked back at Rodney. "That goes way beyond scratching posts and kitty litter, McKay."

"Can I help it if I'm thorough?" Rodney retorted. He rushed on before John could answer, "Looks like the Ancients were studying an organic means of stealth technology. Apparently, something in these Felinidae's genetic code made them ideal test subjects. Hmm…," he tapped a couple controls. "Lots of information here we should take back to Atlantis."

"Fine, great." John waved his hand. "Communications?"

"Right." Rodney tapped a few more keys. "There had to be some way the Ancients managed to communicate… or land a jumper for that matter. Just have to find it."

John nodded. "The door?"

"Door?" Rodney squinted at the display. "Huh… not seeing that. Let me look."

-------------------------

Zelenka's Czech exclamation sounded triumphant and Lorne smiled in response. "What?"

"I believe I have found a way to communicate with our people on the planet." Zelenka smiled. He made a couple of adjustments and waved in Lorne's direction.

Lorne's smile widened and he opened a channel. "Colonel Sheppard this is Major Lorne, do you copy?"

"Major," Sheppard's voice responded. "Good to hear you."

Lorne's smile turned into a full grin. "You too, sir. We're working on getting you out of there. Just sit tight."

"Can do better than that, Major," Sheppard answered. "We located an Ancient base. McKay's researching the propulsion issue as we speak. Hope to help you from this end."

"Copy that, sir," Lorne replied. "We'll stay in touch. Jumper Two out." He looked over at Zelenka. "Doc?"

"I am working on it," Zelenka replied without looking up from his data pad.

---------------------------

John smiled. "Point for Zelenka." He looked directly at Rodney, who glared back.

"It is **not** a competition," Rodney snapped.

"Sure." John purposefully goaded the scientist. "You'd be singing a different tune if it'd been **you** that fixed communications." He quirked his brows at the black look Rodney gave him before, muttering under his breath, he returned his attention to the console.

John watched him, amused that the "who's better' competition between Zelenka and McKay was still robust even after four and a half years. He knew goading McKay would make him work that much faster, if only to make sure he wasn't bested by his Czech colleague. John glanced at Teyla, who smiled knowingly back, well aware of John's tactics for managing Rodney.

"Got something…." Rodney's statement trailed off as he tapped a couple more keys.

John looked over his shoulder. "What?"

Rodney smiled triumphantly. "The fix." He opened a communications channel. "Zelenka? It's McKay. Sending a data burst with the fix for the jumper's propulsion systems your way."

After a minute, Lorne's voice answered. "Received. We'll let you know when we have things fixed on this side. Lorne out."

Rodney turned around, leaned on the console and folded his arms over his chest. His expression was smug. "Who's better now?"

John arched his brows. "I thought you said it wasn't a competition?"

Rodney's expression fell. "But…."

"Besides," John interrupted. "You still haven't closed the exterior door."

"Sheppard!"

John's head snapped around as he fixed his gaze on Ronon. "What?"

Ronon raise his gun. "Company."

"Aw, hell." John took two big steps and rounded the end of the console. "So much for closing the door. McKay, stay here with Teyla. Ronon and I will try to catch as many in a crossfire as we can, but you'll have to mop up the rest."

"Go," Teyla raised her gun. "We will be fine."

John sprinted across the large room, snarls echoing around him.

------------------------------

"I have it." Zelenka closed a crystal bay in the fuselage and hurried back to his seat. "That should fix the issue. We should be able to land safely and take off again from the planet."

"There's a lot of 'shoulds' in that statement, Doc," Lorne quipped darkly as he banked the jumper towards the planet, glad he'd dialed back to Atlantis and given them an update on what they'd found about the alpha team's fate and the effect of the planet's strange magnetic field.

"Well," Zelenka sighed. "It is what the Ancients used, but is untested in this situation. If I was off on any of the calculations…."

Lorne took a deep breath. "Only one way to find out."

"Fix has enhanced the sensors as well. I have isolated the Ancient base. Feeding coordinates into navigation now."

Lorne nodded and adjusted his heading. He opened a channel. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Lorne. Fix is complete. We're on our way." He furrowed his brows at the silence that greeted him. "Colonel Sheppard, do you copy?" Reflexively, he flinched as the sound of gunfire came across the comm channel.

"Little busy right now, Major. Nasty indigenous carnivores. Help would be good!" Sheppard's reply was strained.

Lorne steered the jumper into a steeper descent and called back to the men in the rear of the jumper, "Hang on! It's gonna be rough!"

----------------------------

John fired again and again, each time trying to drop a beast with as little ammo as possible. He'd grabbed several clips when they'd left the jumper but, with all the resistance they'd encountered, he was nearly out. His current clip was half full and there were no more to replace it. He spared a glance for Ronon, who continued firing. Sometimes, he swore Ronon's gun was unstoppable, but he knew that even that gun had to be recharged at some point.

He fired on another beast that suddenly appeared past their crossfire, but it leapt at the last second and his shots went wide. "Damn it! Teyla! Heads up!"

Teyla turned towards his hail and opened fire, dropping the beast in its tracks.

John fired again, using the last of his ammo to stop yet another beast that appeared in front of him. He dropped his P-90, letting it hang from his vest as he smoothly pulled his Beretta. Part of him was amazed there were this many beasts in the area, but why or how was a moot point. They were there and still coming. With their tendency to disappear when shot, they were damn hard to bring down and it took a lot of ammo to do it. With ammo running low, John came to the dark realization that his team would soon be defenseless.

-----------------------------

Misty clouds gave way to green trees as Lorne piloted the jumper at a near suicidal speed towards the Ancient base. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Zelenka's white-knucked grip on the armrests of his chair. "Got the inertial dampeners on full, Doc. Besides, your fix worked."

"Yes," Zelenka responded tightly. "And I would love the opportunity to say that to Rodney's face."

"You'll get your chance if I have anything to say about it," Lorne answered. "Jorgenson! Lock and load! As soon as we're down, move!"

"Yes sir! One predator ass kickin' comin' right up!"

In spite of the situation, Lorne smiled slightly as he listened to the scuffle behind him. He knew that, as soon as he touched down, the team of Marines would be out the back without a second command. He skimmed close over the top of the base and landed only a few feet from an open entrance. "Go!" he commanded over the sound of the back hatch opening, even as he sprang from his seat and grabbed his own P-90. "Stay here, Doc, and close the hatch behind me." He barely waited long enough to see Zelenka's nod before he raced out the back of the jumper and followed the team of Marines into the base.

-----------------------------

John lowered his side arm, and looked around helplessly. He was out of ammo, having given his spare clip to Rodney. "I'm out!"

"Here!" Ronon reached behind his back and produced a Beretta, which he tossed in a high arc towards John.

John watched the gun and jumped, catching it mid air. With one smooth movement, he clicked off the safety and fired.

"John!"

He twisted towards Teyla's frantic hail, his eyes widening. Alone, she was fending off two beasts, who kept appearing and disappearing, but she managed to point in Rodney's direction. He switched his gaze towards Rodney, who was slowly backing away from two more stalking beasts. For a moment, John wondered why he didn't shoot, but realized there could only be one reason…

… he was out of ammo.

"Uhh… a little help here?" Rodney shouted.

"Hang on!" John sprinted towards Rodney. Stopping a dozen paces from the beasts, he opened fire on the nearest one.

The beast snarled and turned towards him. It disappeared for a moment, before re-appearing to his right. John fired again and kept firing until it crumpled to the ground. He looked past it, horror surging through him as the other one stalked Rodney, its haunches swaying from side to side. He raised his gun, but was met with an ominous clicking. Cramming the empty gun into his vest, he looked back at Teyla, who had abandoned her P-90 in favor of her side arm as well. She had no ammo to spare, and Ronon was too far away to help.

"John!" Rodney shouted as he backed against the wall.

John's gaze narrowed. Reaching down, he drew his knife. He didn't relish the idea of going up against one of these beasts with only a knife to defend himself, but he'd be damned if he was going to stand there and let one make a meal out of McKay. He took one step towards it and then instinctively flinched as rapid gun shots resonated around him. The beast stalking McKay fell under gunfire and John spun, his eyes widening in relief, as a team of Marines, with Lorne to one side, ran into the room, firing on any beast that dared to appear.

He took a deep breath and called across to the rescue party. "Heads up! They can disappear and appear at will!"

Lorne fired on a beast that abruptly disappeared, and then made a beeline for John. He reached inside his vest and produced a P-90 clip. "Sir."

John took the clip and quickly loaded his gun. "Thanks. Good timing, Major." He instantly raised the gun and downed a beast that appeared just behind Lorne.

Lorne turned and stared at the dead animal a moment, before looking back at John. "Thanks, sir."

John nodded once. "My pleasure."

"Clear sir!" Jorgenson shouted as the sounds of gunfire abruptly ceased.

"As far as you can tell," John corrected. "Stay sharp!"

Jorgenson nodded once, curtly. "Yes, sir!"

John looked back to Rodney. "You okay?"

"What is it with the near death experiences today?" Rodney panted and stepped around the dead beasts.

"I'll take that as a yes," John answered. "Let's move before more of those damned things come visiting."

"Wait…," Rodney protested. "The database…."

"No," John answered flatly. "We're not waiting around."

"Just hold on." Rodney walked back to the console. "If I can compress it, I think I can fit it onto my data pad as long as I overwrite everything, including the operating system…"

"How will you get the data off it if you do that?" Lorne asked, earning himself a scathing look from Rodney.

"Please! I can interface with another computer and pull the data off in my sleep! Don't be insulting."

"McKay," John hardened his look, "we don't have time for this."

"We can't leave without this database," Rodney insisted. "Isn't that why we're out here? Just give me ten minutes."

John signed deeply before nodding once, curtly. "Okay. You get ten minutes, but after that we're leaving. Database or no database, got it?"

Rodney immediately started tapping keys on the console. "Right. One high speed compression coming right up…."

John looked at Lorne, who nodded once and turned towards his men. "Jorgenson! You're on perimeter duty with me. Hawkins! Help Teyla." Lorne trotted over to the entrance.

Tense minutes passed and John paced, occasionally throwing a questioning look in Rodney's direction. Not that it mattered: the scientist was too engrossed in his work to notice. Finally, John stopped in front of the console. "McKay?"

Rodney detached his pad from the controls and looked up. "Got it."

"Let's move." John turned towards the exit, sparing a glance Teyla's direction but seeing she was managing well with the help of Private Hawkins. He stopped in the doorway. "Lorne, take point. I got the six." John waited as everyone filtered by him. With one last look around, he turned, and followed his people out of the ruins, emerging into bright sunlight. He looked up cynically at the sky, where patches of blue were showing between the lifting clouds. "Nice," he groused. "The rain lets up just in time for us to leave."

"Someone's sick sense of humor," Rodney muttered as he rounded the jumper and walked up the ramp. John followed and smacked the hatch release as he passed by it. Stopping next to where Teyla rested on one of the benches, he looked down at her. "Doing okay?"

Teyla smiled. "Yes. I will be fine."

John nodded once and walked past her. He flashed an approving smile at Zelenka as he stopped behind Lorne's chair. "Nice work, Doc."

"Oh sure," Rodney interrupted from his seat behind Lorne. "Like I had nothing to do with getting off this rock!"

John rolled his eyes. "Yes, Rodney," he answered in a placating tone, "you did good too."

"Thank you," Zelenka responded with a quiet grin.

John nodded once, and then looked at Lorne. "If you don't mind, Major, I'd like to get off this planet now."

Lorne smiled. "Yes sir." Powering the jumper, he eased her off the ground, swiftly leaving the planet behind them.

-------------------------------------

_Epilogue_

Richard looked up, watching as Colonel Sheppard made his way toward him through Ops. He smiled slightly and set down his data pad stylus. He'd been understandably relieved when the teams had returned to Atlantis relatively unscathed, and had requested that Sheppard check in with him when the colonel was finished in the infirmary, with the understanding that a full debriefing was scheduled for tomorrow.

He held onto his smile and gestured towards a chair as Sheppard entered his office. "Colonel. Sit, please."

Sheppard settled heavily into one of the plush chairs and sighed, before resting his head on the back.

Richard quirked his brows at Sheppard's nonchalant and relaxed demeanor. He'd been warned before taking command that Sheppard was unorthodox and casual when it came to protocols, almost to the point of insubordination. But Richard had also heard, and had seen for himself, that when it came down to the really important things, the colonel was all business. Richard's smile deepened slightly. Surprisingly, he found the colonel's style refreshing. "Clean bill of health from Dr. Keller?"

Sheppard lifted his head. "Yep. I'm fine. McKay has a slight concussion but is otherwise okay. Ronon needed stitches but was released. Teyla has some torn cartilage in her knee; Keller's scheduled surgery for tomorrow. She tells me it's a minor procedure and Teyla should make a full recovery, but she'll be out of commission for a little while."

Richard nodded. "Good to hear. All things considered, your team is lucky."

John nodded in agreement. "They're also really good at what they do, Mr. Woolsey. That made a difference."

Richard's smile turned respectful. "They are. You included, Colonel."

John chortled quietly. "Thanks." He leaned forward in his chair. "Look, I know you second guessed this mission, but in spite of everything that happened, it was still right to go on it."

Now, it was Richard's turn to lean back in his chair. He folded his hands on his lap and thought for a minute. He briefly wondered how many times Weir and Carter had second guessed themselves for sending a team on a mission that didn't produce exactly ideal results or, worse yet, deaths. He sighed. "Unknown is normal here," he muttered.

John smiled. "Yep. Facing it is what we do."

Richard pondered his words. "There was a time when map makers marked the unknown with dragons and sea serpents. Maybe I should call you a dragon slayer, Colonel."

John chuckled. "I can imagine how the IOA would respond to that when they read your report."

Now it was Richard's turn to chuckle. "They would think I had broken under the strain of command."

John's smile faded slightly and something resembling respect crept into his expression. "I don't think that'll happen."

Richard looked away and nodded. "Thank you, Colonel."

A long moment passed, before John abruptly stood. "I think I'm going to go sleep for a day and a half… or until the next crisis comes along." He headed for the door.

"Or the next unknown planet in need of exploring," Richard added.

Halfway across the bridge to Ops, Sheppard waved over his shoulder. "Or that!"

Richard chuckled and rocked side to side in his chair as he watched the colonel disappear down the back stairs. The longer he commanded here, the more he saw why Weir had so stubbornly supported and defended Sheppard, even though he hadn't understood it at the time.

Richard's smile lingered. He had good people here and as long as he kept sight of that, he believed everything would work out.

~End~

---------------------

_Author's Notes: This was the first time I participated in the Gen Ficathon and I had a great time doing it! I absolutely LOVED the prompt and my muse definitely has a soft spot for straight out action/adventure and team stories. ;) Many thanks to my intrepid beta reader, as always! :)  
_


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